Teton Traffic Busters
RESULTS ARE IN FROM TETON TRAFFIC BUSTERS’ OPEN HOUSE
Before the crush of summer traffic, Friends of Pathways and other community organizations invited citizens to engage and share ideas that can be enacted as proactive solutions to aggravating traffic congestion. The goal of the event was to generate community conversation and to invigorate people around positive solutions that can easily be implemented, some as soon as this summer.
Partner organizations shared ideas and available solutions for reducing traffic on 22 and 390, and information about current efforts underway. We explored how we can collectively reduce year-round traffic by invigorating transit, using traffic management tools and other forms of alternative transportation. 125 people attended the event and others participated online, by filling out a survey about transportation options. A summary of the event and survey follows.
Download the full Traffic-Busters-Event-Summary–>
SUMMARY OF
TETON TRAFFIC BUSTERS OPEN HOUSE
Prepared: April 30, 2017
Meeting Date & Time: Tuesday, April 18, 2017 from 4 ‐ 7 PM
Meeting Place: Old Wilson Schoolhouse Community Center
Meeting Intent:
Before the crush of summer traffic, the Old Wilson Schoolhouse Community Center, Teton Village Association, Snake River Fund and Friends of Pathways invited citizens to help innovate smart ways to take an additional 200 or more vehicles off of Highways 22 and 390, everyday all year-round.
Meeting Announcement:
The meeting was announced in a March 22 Guest Shot published by the JH News & Guide and distributed by all four host organizations. It was also placed on the Community Calendar, and advertised in the print & online versions of the JH Daily and JH News & Guide, as well as Facebook. Host organizations invited their contacts via email, as well as the Teton County Commission and key County staff, Mayor & Town Council and representatives from the Teton County Sherriff’s office, WYDOT, START Bus and Pathways.
Meeting Format:
Open House format, allowing community members to attend when most convenient for their schedule. Refreshments were available, and four stations were set up around the room’s perimeter offering information and soliciting feedback on four themes:
1. Downtown Wilson/Hwy 22
2. Traffic Reduction/Stilson
3. Wilson Boat Launch / Stilson
4. Alternative transportation: pathways, rideshare, START Bus
These stations were manned by staff and volunteers from the Old Wilson Schoolhouse Community Center, Teton Village Association, Snake River Fund and Friends of Pathways. A series of exhibits were displayed and helped generate productive conversations. The meeting was attended by approximately 125 people. Attendees were asked to provide feedback about traffic solutions via a brief written or online survey. Additionally, the board & staff of Old Wilson Schoolhouse conducted one-on-one interviews using the appreciative inquiry approach. In preparation for the meeting, and as a means of continuing to communicate with people about traffic solutions, the Teton Traffic Busters Facebook page was created. It currently has 115 likes, and its posts have been served to more than 5,000 people.
Surveys:
A written and online survey asked people to help generate positive solutions to take cars off highways 22 & 390 that our elected officials can enact so that this summer, and in summers to come, we have fewer frustratingly long lines of traffic. People were asked to answer the questions knowing there are 15 acres at the Stilson park & ride for this purpose, a dedicated stream of revenue from Shooting Star real estate transfer fees for traffic mitigation between Teton Village and the Town of Jackson, and there hasn’t been regularly scheduled START Bus service to/from Stilson in summers past.
The survey was available online from April 15 – 28, and participants were invited to fill it out at the open house – 318 responses were received. A brief summary of the survey responses appears below, and the final survey results including comments are included in the Traffic-Busters-Event-Summary
1. Should the Stilson park & ride be used in peak summer months to reduce traffic?
Yes – 94%
2. What actions would you take to reduce summer traffic? (multiple responses)
Bike or walk to work and/or to run errands regularly – 74%
Use the Stilson park & ride – 55%
Change work schedule/travel habits to avoid peak traffic – 53%
3. If you had $250-500,000/year to help get cars off the road, what’s the first thing you would do?
Schedule frequent START Bus service with regular stops at Stilson year round – 46%
4. What would motivate people to leave their cars at Stilson instead of driving? (ranked)
1 – Scheduled START Bus service every 30 minutes
2 – Bumper-to-bumper traffic on Hwys 22 and/or 390
3 – Paid parking in downtown Jackson
4 – Scheduled START Bus service every hour
5 – Covered bike storage
5. What would make it more convenient for people to park vehicles at the Stilson lot to use the
Wilson boat launch, public access levees, &/or R Park? (ranked, but in a virtual 3-way tie)
1 – Designating ~25 parking spaces nearest the Hwy 390 pathway underpass as “preferred river
access parking”
2 – Restrooms that are unlocked for use at Stilson
3 – A dedicated bike share hub for river users (Stilson to river & back)
6. What transportation infrastructure would you support funding for? (ranked)
1 – Roundabout at the intersection of highways 22 & 390
2 – Carpool and/or transit lane on Highway 22
3 – Improvements to Stilson (bus stop, bike storage, road and parking)
4 – Widen roads
5 – Additional pathway underpasses on highways 22 & 390
7. How do you think our community should pay for transportation improvements to reduce
summer traffic on Hwys 22 & 390? (ranked)
1 – Use existing Shooting Star real estate transfer fee
2 – Voter approved SPET funds for specific transportation
Download the full Traffic-Busters-Event-Summary
